Materials handling device with guides

ABSTRACT

A device for the transport of materials from one location to another including a platform for supporting said materials, padeyes positioned on said platform, shackles secured to said padeyes and connected to lift lines and guide means secured to said platform and adapted to maintain said shackles and said lines out of contact with said transported materials.

United States Patent Joseph Varon Inventor Savannah, Ga. Appl. No. 843,367 Filed July 22, 1969 Patented Aug. 17, 1971 Assignee Shell Oil Company New York, N.Y.

MATERIALS HANDLING DEVICE WITH GUIDES 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 294/67 E, 294/74, B66c/ 1/00 Field oi Search 294/675, 74, 82 AH, 674 B; 214/1 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,818,296 12/1957 Brennan 294/675 FOREIGN PATENTS 602,002 2/1960 Italy 294/82 AH Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham Attorneys-Thomas R. Lampe and J. H. McCarthy ABSTRACT: A device for the transport of materials from one location to another including aplatform for supporting said materials, padeyes positioned on said platform, shackles secured to said padeyes and connected to lift lines and guide means secured to said platform and adapted to maintain said shackles and said lines out of contact with said transported materials.

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PRIOR ART PRIOR ART INVENTOR:

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INVENTOR:

J. VARON 7 MATERIALS HANDLING DEVICE WITH GUIDES This invention relates to a materials handling device, and more particularly to a device for transporting equipment such as skid-mounted machinery'from one location toanother.

Numerous arrangements have been devised for the purpose of lifting large production skids or similar equipment so that they may be transported from one location, such as on board a ship, to another location, such as a loading dock. In the course of such transport activities, consideration must be given to the maintenance of control during lift as well as to other primary considerations such as facility in making connections and disconnections and the protection of the equipment being transported. Consideration must also be given tosecondary concerns such as the effective utilization of lift space and the minimizing of possible failure locations on the lift equipment. Of course the above criteria must be viewedin light of economy considerations.

In carrying out lift operations of the above-noted type, two primary arrangements have been employed. First of all, a framework construction has been utilized wherein loads are transmitted through the framework to a skid base duringlift. An alternative approach has been theuse of a spreader frame. These prior art devices will be described in greater detail below. It has been found that these two prior art approaches have obvious disadvantages when they are viewed in light of the abovenoted considerations which must be taken into accountwhen utilizing equipment of this nature.

With respect to control, the spreader system is deficient since it provides for no lateral restraint of the package'being transported. Also, this system is very difficult to disconnect, has been responsible for damage to equipment and presents a safety hazard to personnel due to the lack of restraint of the shackles after disconnection.

The framework system, although providing package restraint, tends to induce unwanted stresses in the structure thereof during lift. The framework approach also requires disconnection at a level in the order of feet above the deck and allows the slings to move about presenting danger to personnel and the possibility of resulting damage to equipment if the slings should fall into the transported package. As to clearance and space utilization considerations, diagonal bracing beams which are sometimes requiredcould take up considerable room. Both approaches have multiple possible failure locations since the loads are transmitted indirectly from the base to the slings.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement which is economical in construction for the transport of materials from one location to another with such transport being effected in a controlled manner without damage being caused to the transported materials.

The above and other objects have been attained in the present invention by providing an improved arrangement for transporting materials or equipment from one location to another including a substantially flat platform having padeyes secured thereto. Shackles are connected to said padeyes with lifting means which may be in the form of wire rope or similar material being operatively associated with said shackles. Upwardly extending elongated members are secured to the platform in the vicinity of the padeyes and are adapted to cooperate with said shackles to prevent them from contacting the materials being transported and to provide a guide for the wire rope. Secured between said elongated members is a catcher device which may be in the form of a bent pipe adapted to keep the wire rope from sagging against the transported materials.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The above-noted and other objects of the present invention will be understood from the following description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawing. In describing the invention in detail, reference will be made to the drawing in which like reference materials designate corresponding parts throughout several views in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating apparatus according to the present invention being employed in the transport of materials from one location to another;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are isometric views showing alternative forms of prior art transport devices;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal view illustrating the apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged, longitudinal views illustrating details of the apparatus according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, detail longitudinal view illustrating the positions assumed by a lift cable and bracket member during lift.

Referring now to FIG. 1 a typical working environment is illustrated wherein the apparatus according to the present invention may be employed to advantage. It should be understood, of course, that such working environment is presented for illustrative purposes only and that the subject invention may be utilized in any situation where it is desired to transport materials and/or equipment in significant quantities from one location to another. In FIG. 1 a loading dock or pier is designated by means of reference numeral 11. Positioned adjacent to the dock 11 in body of water 12 is a floating cargo vessel 13. A hoist or crane 14 is positioned on dock 11 and is utilized to transport materials between the dock and the cargo vessel. Depending from the crane lift line 15 is a materials handling device constructed according to the teachings of the present invention and designated generally by means of reference numeral 21.

As stated above, numerous arrangements have been devised for the purpose of lifting large production skids or similar equipment so that they may be transported from one location to another. One commonly used prior an approach is illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein a framework arrangement is indicated generally by means of reference numeral 22. Such arrangement includes a platform 23 having upstanding post members 24 fixedly attached thereto. Secured to the top of post members 24 is a tubular frame 25 having approximately the same rectangular configuration as does platform 23. Bracing members 26 extend between platform 23 and tubular frame 25. A plurality of padeyes 27 are secured to frame 25 and lifting means in the form of wire ropes 28 are secured to these padeyes 27 to effect lifting of the framework arrangement 22. For reasons set forth above the framework arrangement is unsatisfactory for many transport activities.

An alternative prior art approach is illustrated in FIG. 3 wherein a materials handling device incorporating the spreader concept is generally designated by means of reference numeral 31. The spreader device incorporates a bottom platform 33 having a plurality of padeyes 34 affixed to the platform at the corners thereof. Cables 35 extend from the padeyes and are attached at the uppermost ends thereof to a spreader frame 36 having substantially the same rectangular configuration as does platform 33. A second set of padeyes 37 is attached to the upper portion of the spreader frame to which the lift cable means 38 are secured. As indicated above, this approach also has inherent problems which render its use less than adequate for lift and transport operations.

In FIG. 4 the materials handling device 21 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is illustrated in greater detail. Device 21 includes a platform 41 which may, for example, be of a rectangular configuration and constructed of any desired material. Positioned about the periphery of platform 41 are padeyes 42. In the illustrated embodiment one such padeye is disposed substantially midway along each of the four sides of the platform although it should be understood that the padeyes may be secured at the comers of the platform or any other desired location. In FIGS. 5 and 6 one such padeye 42 is disclosed in greater detail. With particular reference to these latter Figures it may be seen that a shackle member 43 is secured to each of the padeyes 42 as by means of a pin 44. Lift means in the form of a cable 45 is affixed to each of shackle members 43. The cables terminate at a central location where they are adapted to be secured to the crane lift line 15 by any desired expedient. For example, all of the cables 45 may be secured to a lift ring 46 adapted to be placed into operative association with a lift hook (not shown) of any desired construction which may be disposed at the end of crane lift line 15.

Disposed inwardly from the edge of the platform 41 and each of the padeyes 42 is a pair of upwardly extending elongated guide members 47 and 48 with said guide members being spaced from one another so that they define a vertical slot which is of narrower width than the width of shackle member 43 and of greater width that the thickness of cable 45. The upper ends of the guide members diverge as at 49 and 50 to form a V-shaped configuration. A U-shaped bracket 51 has the legs thereof a affixed to guide members 47 and 48 near the upper ends thereof so that the bracket extends inwardly at right angles to the guide members.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is as follows. Prior to lift off, platform 41 is positioned for loading, e.g., on vessel 13 or dock 11. The V-shaped configuration 49 and 50 facilitates the positioning of cable 45 during the connection process. Since cables 45 are generally in a slack condition during this stage of the operation, shackles 43 have a natural inclination to pivot inwardly under the force of gravity and lay flat on the platform 41 unless restrained in some manner from doing so. This movement is undesirable since the prone shackles occupy space on the platform which is preferably occupied by the cargo 52 loaded thereon. Such movement is prevented due to the fact that shackles 43 contact guide members 47 and 48. At the same time cables 45 are restrained from sagging into and possibly damaging cargo 52 by means of the U-shaped brackets 51. FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the relative positions assumed by the elements of the apparatus according to the present invention when the cables 45 are in the slack condition prior to lift. During lift, cables 45 clear their respective U-shaped brackets 51 as shown in FIG. 7 and a direct connection to platform 41 is achieved. The connection and disconnection of the shackles 43 to the padeyes 42 are accomplished at deck level and the shackles 43 are restrained while disconnected so as to minimize any danger to personnel involved in the operation. After disconnection and during lift-off, shackles 43 are guided by the slot between guide members 47 and 48 and kept from the equipment. The guides 47 and 48 are of sufficient height such that the shackles 43 swing clear above the equipment as they clear the guide members.

I claim as my invention: 1. Apparatus for the transport of materials from one location to another, said apparatus comprising:

a platform having an upper surface adapted to receive said material thereon; a plurality of shackles pivotally secured to padeyes disposed about the periphery of said platform; flexible lift lines secured to said plurality of shackles and extending upwardly therefrom; guide means, each of said guide means comprising a pair of spaced, upwardly extending substantially parallel elongated guide members, said guide members being disposed inwardly from the edge of said platform and each of said padeyes to restrain each of said shackles from contacting said materials when said shackles and said lift lines are in both a slack condition and in a lifting condition with respect to said platform; and means operatively associated with both said guide means and said lift lines to prevent each of said lift lines from contacting said materials. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the space between each pair of said elongated guide members defines a slot with said lift lines extending into said slots.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means operatively associated with said guide means to prevent said lift lines from contacting said materials comprises a U-shaped bracket having the legs thereof affixed to said guide members and extending inwardly at right angles to said guide members. 

1. Apparatus for the transport of materials from one location to another, said apparatus comprising: a platforM having an upper surface adapted to receive said material thereon; a plurality of shackles pivotally secured to padeyes disposed about the periphery of said platform; flexible lift lines secured to said plurality of shackles and extending upwardly therefrom; guide means, each of said guide means comprising a pair of spaced, upwardly extending substantially parallel elongated guide members, said guide members being disposed inwardly from the edge of said platform and each of said padeyes to restrain each of said shackles from contacting said materials when said shackles and said lift lines are in both a slack condition and in a lifting condition with respect to said platform; and means operatively associated with both said guide means and said lift lines to prevent each of said lift lines from contacting said materials.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the space between each pair of said elongated guide members defines a slot with said lift lines extending into said slots.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means operatively associated with said guide means to prevent said lift lines from contacting said materials comprises a U-shaped bracket having the legs thereof affixed to said guide members and extending inwardly at right angles to said guide members. 